Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“I will talk to Larkin,” Xavier says and then leans in. “Delphi doesn’t remember, but she’s invited Zeke in before. If anything happens, he will get you out.”
“I’ll—”
“Be fine,” he says over me. “I know.” He kisses me and walks me back up to the house. Larkin comes out as soon as I enter, and one of the wolves shuts the door behind me immediately.
“Chill, guys,” Delphi says. “She’s here as my guest.”
I go into the living room with her and take a seat on the couch. “Does anyone want to play cards?” I ask, picking up a deck on the coffee table. “I know gin rummy.” Everyone looks at me like I’m crazy. Shrugging, I put the cards back down and lean back, awkwardly drumming my fingers on my thigh as the time slowly passes.
“That’s a cool fish tank,” I tell Delphi.
“Thanks. It was a bitch to get set up.”
“I’ve heard that about saltwater tanks.”
“Wanna look at my fish while I tell you about them?” she asks with a laugh, knowing how lame that sounded.
“Yeah. What else are we gonna do?” I get up, aware the elders in the pack are watching. Once Larkin is back and the trust is restored, this awkward as fuck meeting will be worth it. Delphi geeks out as she talks about each fish, and after fifteen minutes, Xavier is back.
“Thank you again,” Delphi says when I get to the front door.
“I’m glad I was able to help.”
“Let me know if we can help too. I don’t know anything about hunting demons, but I want this to stop and, uh, I’ve seen enough horror movies to be kinda scared. I don’t want the world to end.”
“I won’t let it get that far.”
Stepping aside, I let Larkin come into the house before I leave. She gives me a curt nod but catches my arm right before I leave the house.
“We’ve never had someone who could go in between before,” she tells me. “Don’t let them fuck it up.”
Chapter
Twenty-One
“That was fun.” I close the front passenger door to the G-Wagon and reach for my seatbelt. “And could have ended badly.”
Xavier starts the engine and takes my hand. “If anything happened to you Wren,” he starts and brings my hand to his mouth, kissing my fingers. “There would be hell to pay.”
“I know,” I say, locking eyes with him so he can see I understand the weight of this. Theo’s concerns are valid; Xavier would stop at nothing to protect—and avenge—me. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Actually, I’m not. That was a lie. I feel bad I didn’t listen in case it made you worry or that this maybe is going to create a conflict with Theo since I did cast a sleeping spell on him.”
His lips curve into a smile. “I’m more upset that I didn't get to see it.”
“I can do it again.”
“I’m curious how it feels.” He lets go of my hand and brushes my hair back, looking at the wound on my neck.
“I didn’t know it would work on vampires.”
“I didn’t either.”
“On a scale of one to ten, how mad do you think Theo is?” I make a face.
“Nothing I can’t handle. Don’t worry about him. If he gets too annoying, I’ll snap his neck again.” He laughs. “It will probably buy us the same amount of time as your sleeping spell.”
I click my seatbelt into place. “I can’t imagine being stuck with my siblings for seven centuries.”
“Did you cast sleeping spells on them?”
“Oh, using magic on family was strictly forbidden. So, only a few times and only on Larissa,” I laugh and then a knot forms in my chest. We haven’t even talked about what’s going to happen to her.
She kidnapped Mabel.
That’s not something any of the Maluses will let go. They shouldn’t either. What Larissa did was wrong. She didn’t act alone, but she was the brains of the operation. She’s hated me not since my powers started showing, but since it started making me a better hunter.
We could have been an unstoppable team. We could have been best friends. Together, we could have found out about the deal the Order made and run away together. Things could have been so different.
Sitting here next to Xavier, I’m glad they’re not.
Theo is waiting in the garage as soon as we pull in.
“Man, he needs a girlfriend,” I mumble. “Or a hobby.”
“I’ve been saying that for decades.”
“He hasn’t gotten laid in that long? Explains a lot.”
Xavier laughs. “It certainly seems that way. Ask him. See how that goes.”
“Hah. I’m sure he’ll sit down and have a heart-to-heart with me. Willingly.”
He leans in and kisses me before we get out of the car. “You have blood on your shirt,” I say when he pulls away. “What were you doing before I called?”
“Putting someone in their place.”